Sabut moong dal recipe with step by step photos – homely Punjabi style dal made with whole moong beans.
This green moong dal recipe is one of those dals I make often. Just that I never clicked the pics and shared. I also make urad dal in a similar way.
The green moong beans are cooked in a pressure cooker. You can cook the dal in a pot or pan too. I have mentioned the details on how to cook the beans in a pan, in the notes section of the recipe card below. Moong beans as well as moong lentils are my preferred choice of legumes, to make dals or khichdis as they are easy to digest and nutritious.
The taste of this green gram curry is like a home-cooked dal and really goes well with rotis or steamed rice. If I make a side veggie dish, I serve the dal with steamed rice or we just have it with rotis with a side veggie salad.
If you are looking for more Dal recipes then do check:
Preparation to make green moong dal
1. Rinse ½ cup green moong beans for a couple of times and then soak in enough water for an hour. You can also soak them for a couple of hours or overnight. If soaking overnight, then the pressure cooking time will reduce.
2. chop 1 medium onion, 1 large tomato and 1 to 2 green chilies.
Making green moong dal
3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker. add the whole spices – 1 medium tej patta/Indian bay leaf and ½ tsp cumin seeds. Saute till the cumin seeds splutter.
4. Then add the chopped onions.
5. Saute the onions till they start to turn light golden.
6. Add 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste and chopped green chilies. Stir and saute till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
7. Now add the chopped tomatoes and ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ¼ tsp red chili powder, ½ tsp coriander powder and ¼ tsp garam masala powder.
8. Stir and saute till the tomatoes soften, become pulpy and you see oil releasing from the sides.
9. Drain and add the moong beans.
10. Stir very well.
11. Add 2.5 to 3 cups water and salt as per taste.
12. Cover and pressure cook sabut moong dal for 10 to 12 whistles or for 15 to 17 minutes on a medium to high flame till the moong beans are softened thoroughly. when the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid and check the moong beans. If they still have slight bite to them, then add some water and pressure cook for some more whistles.
13. If the mixture looks dry and the water looks less, then you can add more water. Keep the cooker on the stove top and simmer the moong dal for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring at intervals. the consistency of the dal should not be watery. While cooking you can mash a few lentils with the back of the spoon.
Tempering for green moong dal
This step is optional.
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan or tadka pan. Splutter ½ tsp cumin seeds first.
2. Switch off the flame and then add a pinch of asafoetida and ¼ tsp red chili powder. Stir.
3. Add this tempering to the green moong dal. Stir well.
4. Add 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves. Stir again.
5. Serve whole green moong dal with steamed rice or chapatis. While serving this green gram curry, you can garnish with a few coriander leaves if you want.
Green Moong Dal
Ingredients
main ingredients
- ½ cup sabut moong dal (whole moong beans) - soaked in water for an hour or two hours or overnight
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 medium tej patta (indian bay leaf)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 medium onion, chopped or ⅓ cup chopped onions
- 1 large tomato, finely chopped or ½ cup finely chopped tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste or ½ inch ginger + 3 to 4 medium garlic - crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 2.5 to 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)
- salt as required
for tempering
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
Instructions
preparation
- Rinse 1/2 cup green moong beans for a couple of times and then soak in enough water for an hour. You can also soak them for a couple of hours or overnight. If soaking overnight, then the pressure cooking time will reduce.
- Chop 1 medium onion, 1 large tomato and 1 to 2 green chilies. Crush the ginger and garlic to a paste in the mortar-pestle.
making green moong dal
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker.
- Add the whole spices - 1 medium tej patta/indian bay leaf and 1/2 tsp cumin seeds. Saute till the cumin seeds splutter.
- Then add the chopped onions. Saute the onions till light golden.
- Add 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste and chopped green chilies. Stir and saute till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
- Now add the chopped tomatoes and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp red chili powder, 1/2 tsp coriander powder and 1/4 tsp garam masala powder.
- Stir and saute till the tomatoes soften, become pulpy and you see oil releasing from the sides.
- Drain and add the moong beans. Stir very well.
- Add 2.5 to 3 cups water and salt as per taste. Stir very well.
- Cover and pressure cook sabut moong dal for 10 to 12 whistles or 15 to 17 minutes on a medium to high flame till the moong beans are softened thoroughly.
- When the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid and check the moong beans. If they still have slight bite to them, then add some water and pressure cook for some more whistles.
- If the mixture looks dry, then you can add more water. Keep the cooker on the stove top and simmer the moong dal for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring at intervals.
- The consistency of the dal should not be watery. While cooking you can mash a few lentils with the back of the spoon.
tempering for green moong dal (optional)
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan or tadka pan. Splutter 1/2 tsp cumin seeds first.
- Switch off the flame and then add a pinch of asafoetida and 1/4 tsp red chili powder. Stir.
- Add this tempering to the dal. Stir well.
- Add 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves. Stir again.
- Serve green moong dal with steamed rice or chapatis.
- While serving this green gram curry, you can garnish with a few coriander leaves if you want.
Thank you for all your recipes. I have become the de facto cook at home and always stayed away from Indian food as didn’t think I could replicate my mums cooking.. your recipes have given me a new confidence, please don’t stop ????
most welcome and thank you much for this wonderful feedback. so glad to read your comment. i won’t stop ????
I tried it…just owsome…ty for your recipe
welcome nora and thank you.
I usually look for recipes that my kids wud love to eat…less spicy, less oily, quick and simple ones with ingredients easily found in our kitchen… my kids wudnt eat green moong in any form…. but they thoroughly enjoyed thier meal with your recipe of “green moong gravy” with rice and generous serving of ghee… my husband enjoyed it with chappati…thank you for this simple but very nutritious gravy…
thank you pushpa. even i prefer to cook less spicy and less oily food for the family with easily available ingredients. on the blog, you will find many of such indian recipes with the exceptions of baking recipes, world recipes and fried recipes. i am glad your family liked the moong dal recipe. thanks for sharing. happy cooking.
This is my go to easy dal recipe! I switch up what kinds of lentils I use and keep spices and method the same. Today was half Channa dal and half moong. Delicious. Thank u!
that can be done. in fact with any of your favorite dal recipe, you can try and change the lentils. thanks for the feedback. welcome.
Hello ma’am. All your recipes are great. Keep up the good work and thank you for saving our lives????
thank you rini ????????
Tried the recipe n its amazing.Love love your recipes 🙂 they are an absolute delight to read, to watch the pics n to make ❤️ Missing ur app a lot. It was my most used and loved app. I learnt lot of recipes from ur site. Your detailed step by step description, pics and even tips from your experience of cooking helped me a lott.. Thanks a ton for making even difficult recipes understandable and easier. Keep cooking n clicking.
Welcome Srividya. Glad to read your positive feedback on recipes. We deleted the app because of technical issues. Yes I will share more recipes as I love cooking and trying new recipes.
Hello. Thanks for your wonderful recipes. I was wondering if I can cook the dal separately and then add it to the onion tomato base. Will it come out to be tasting the same??
you can do this way veena. whenever cooked dal is added to onion-tomato base the taste will be different. but the taste will be good.
How long do you cook uncovered if you aren’t pressure cooking and did soak overnight.
it will take about 30 to 40 minutes. the cooking time also depends on the quality of beans.
Can we use split moong dal instead of whole. Will it change the taste of it?
Thanks
you can use split moong dal. yes taste will be different with split moong dal.
For once a recipe that don’t need tweeking. .. it was simply device thank you for this amazing recipe
welcome abeda. thanks for your positive feedback
If not soaked overnight, how much time would it take to cook in the pressure cooker?
Pushpinder, It will take around 7 to 10 minutes more. depends upon size of pressure cooker and quality of dal also.
Delicious! I added garlic and a small handful of methi to the tempering and it was so good!! I also did a mix of split and whole mung.
Thanks Jack for sharing your variation and for positive feedback.
should I be doubling the cooking time if i am making a double serving?
no need to double the cooking time. the moong beans will get cooked in the same amount of time in pressure cooker.
I love your moong dal recipe. It’s a super hit in my family. Thanks a lot for the wonderful recipe.
Welcome Nandita. Glad to know this.